Read All About It: Besieged, Feat. Author Spotlight: Kevin Hearne

This is a special review, readers! I was lucky enough to be at the first stop of Kevin Hearne's book tour for Besieged, in Richmond, Virginia (along with one ambitious man from Texas)! Downtown in Fountain Bookstore, Hearne gave a little talk and answered a bunch of fan questions, and also revealed an illustration from his upcoming novel A Plague of Giants, which I now have pre-ordered! Pick up your own copy in October!

Hearne is hilarious on Twitter, and is even more so in person! He opened up about his writing process, his goals for the various projects he is working on at the moment (including the final Iron Druid novel, Scourged), and joked about his love for each new pantheon he discovers. He admitted his editor loves him for not putting apostrophes in his character's names, that he struggles with character descriptions, and would really like to have a beer with Ganesha. If you have the chance, meet up with Hearne on another stop in his tour! It's more than worth it. He'll be going up the coast for the next week or so!

In the mean time, Besieged is the latest book in The Iron Druid Chronicles! A collection of various stories from the Iron Druid universe, Hearne wrote nine new tales that he's had in mind for a while--a few focus on Atticus' past while others are based right after the last novel, Staked, and there are even two from the the perspective of Owen. There are some great narratives in this collection of stories.

It'd be boring for me to go through every single amazing tale in this book! Hearne focuses on telling us tales that are near and dear to his heart, and we get a better look at why Atticus is how he is with these tales from the past--and it's not all positive, which is something I love about Hearne's writing. He can really tear out your heart with his twists and turns of success and failure, and doesn't even spare his protagonist.

Granuaile gets her own tale, more about her time in Poland, and we get some sweet mentions of Orlaith, Oberon, and Starbuck, who are near and dear to my animal-loving heart. Granuaile is one of my favorite characters, and I love reading from her perspective. I also adore Owen, if only because his language is hilariously fun to read, and seeing his own take on Atticus is an intriguing story form that I hope we see more of in Scourged. Owen is an important figure in this series, most of all for his piercing insight and his fondness for the boy he helped turn into the Iron Druid.

Warning: there is one story in here that isn't quite kid friendly, so watch out for "Cuddle Dungeon" and be amazed at how well Hearne writes about consent! We get a side-story about Perun and Flidais which is kind of sexy, kind of concerning, and definitely educating.

These stories are the best combinations of mythology, humor, and brilliant narratives that strengthen the foundation of this amazing series, and I highly recommend that if you haven't read Hounded, the first novel of the series, that you do so as soon as you can!

Until we meet again on the battlefields of Ragnarok in Scourged, keep an eye out for the Druids, and do your part to help save our earth! Every little bit helps!